Offline Two Days - What Did I Miss?

My corner of the globe experienced some rough weather Tuesday evening knocking out electrical service all over the area. My electricity was off for the better part of two days. Part of the anxiety that began building Thursday was at the thought of what I was missing. Seems every time I turn my back, something big happens.

The biggest news missed was Canonical's pre-release press release.  Their habit of announcing a week ahead of actual release is something that I never liked. Most wait until something actually happens before they announce it. However, I guess it brings them a lot of coverage. And it did this time as well. From unknown blogger to big-dollar Websites, that upcoming release filled my news feeds and alerts.

Looks like I missed the Texas Bedrock vs. Google infringement suit decision too. This could be a rather big deal for all who use Linux. Seems Bedrock's patent is so loosely worded and concerns such a basic function that any Linux distribution or developer could be in violation. Instead Bedrock is going after companies with deep pockets. Most lawyers and juries know so little about technology that they can be convinced of actual infringement. Even if justice prevails, these companies have spent more than the actual judgment in legal fees. There was a time and place where patents served a real purpose, but the system has been so gamed that it no longer works properly.

Speaking of patents, seems that Novell and CPTN has had to change the terms of their deal concering the sale of hundreds of patents. It seems the Department of Justice has decided that the sale of these patents to Microsoft and friends could (and probably would) jeopardize the ability of Linux and other Open Source projects to compete (or even develop) in the operation system arena. So apparently now Microsoft has to sell Attachmate the patents and all will be subject to Open Source licenses.

Oh, and the Linux Foundation and the Open Invention Network are still adding lots of members to their rosters. In the last couple of days Yahoo! and Igalia have signed on with The Linux Foundation while about 70 companies have joined the Open Invention Network in recent months.

So, there ya go, two days of news in less than ten minutes.